The War Of Opinions - Opinions are like rear ends. Everyone has one.

INTRODUCTION:

Greetings to all. I hope this blog post finds you well. Tonight's topic is a request from a subscriber asking me to discuss opinions and why they have increasingly impacted us as a society. Before I begin, we must understand what an opinion is. To put it in basic terms, an opinion is a view or judgment someone has determined about something. However, although many people state their opinions are based on facts, in most cases, they are not necessarily based on facts or even knowledge of the subject. Let's get started.

OPINIONS:

People have formed opinions on almost everything since the beginning of time. Opinions result from individuals that think and come to a resolution on how they feel about something. The issue arises between people or groups of people because everyone tends to believe their opinion is right and anything contrary to that is wrong.

Decades ago, people had more respect for one another. Even if they had a different opinion, they could discuss it and try to see another person's viewpoint. In addition, times were not as complex decades ago as they are in today's world. Do I dare say they were simpler? Here is a good article about how opinions are formed. Take a look.

I believe opinions started to actually cause problems with the 2016 Presidential elections. That's not to say that different opinions didn't cause issues between people before that. However, opinions took on a different meaning during that election cycle. Friends and family stopped speaking to one another, didn't share holidays today, social media blasting of one another, and other forms of problems occurred. This was primarily due to and revolved around political choice.

Since that time, things have gotten much worse. The pandemic, woke culture, gender identity, and of course, the continuing political issues have escalated the majority of people not to state their opinion for fear of the problems it will cause or who they may offend.

Earlier, I stated that most people who form an opinion believe their opinion is correct. And so the argument begins. We have all seen the protests in the streets of many cities in our country that resulted in violence and damage to life and property. This is a result of opinions. The I'm right, and you are wrong mentality.

Otherwise known as one-sided thinking. Some people have the ability to see things 'out-of-the-box.' Meaning there may be more to something than meets the eye. Others only see things one way. As if they had blinders on and there was no changing their mind.

Add groups and activists to the mix, and now you have a recipe for disaster. In these cases, some people are leaders, but most people are followers. How often have you heard your parents say, "Think for yourself. If "X" wanted to jump off a building, would you do it with them?" People who are followers tend to go with the crowd and will oftentimes do things they would NEVER do if they were alone. Everyone feels stronger in numbers.

Groups, organizations, and at times, politicians manipulate opinion. Do you know who is best at doing that? The news media. They can tell a story and report or leave out, or not even report, certain events in an attempt to manipulate your opinion. For years people have been asking the question, "Is that what the news media is supposed to do?" The worse part is you do not know they are doing it unless you watch various news networks.

We must remember that everyone has a right to their opinion. That being said, we also must remember that we should respect the opinions of others as they should respect ours. That is the number #1 critical failure. LACK OF RESPECT. People have forgotten that their opinion DOES NOT make them right. It is only the choice they have formed in their mind based on what they have seen, heard, or believe is true. But that doesn't;t make any one of those things correct.

FORMING AN OPINION:

To properly form an opinion. There are three basic concepts that should be followed. Ask yourself if you follow these concepts when you form an opinion.

First, decide if you have a bias toward the topic. If you do, you need to find a way to put that aside to be able to look at it objectively.
Talk to others about their feelings about the topic and any experiences they may have encountered. Add these to your own, and research about the topic or person.
PUT YOURSELF IN THE OTHER PERSON'S SHOES. Look at the topic from their viewpoint and see if it makes sense.

Always remember. Your opinion does NOT make you right or wrong. It is only a representation of how you view what's going on. Another saying you have probably heard that is also true.

"If you listen to one side of an argument, they side right. If you listen to the other side, they sound right. Somewhere in the middle is the truth."

I had a wise professor in one of my college business classes. She always said. "Never go into a business meeting without your facts and data, and always be able to answer any question asked of you. If you cannot, be honest and then research the answer. Anything short of that puts your credibility in question."

When you think about that, you will find that the statement applies to everything in life. Anyone can tell you that you are wrong. But few can tell you why.

When you form an opinion about something, your decisions will be based on your opinion. Whether you are buying a car, a house, spending money, or anything else. Doesn't it make sense to research things and know you are making the correct choice? In life, many decisions we make are based on our past experiences. When we made mistakes or a bad choice or when we made the correct choice. In addition, sometimes, some things will just be a gamble. A roll of the dice and hope for the best.

I said earlier that in today's society, many people fear stating their opinion for fear of an argument or offending someone. In my case, I do not have those fears because when I state my opinion, I can back it up with facts to show how I came to that opinion. Also, I have the ability to see things through the eyes of others to understand their position and know that they may have facts I am not aware of. I have often formed an opinion on something only to change my mind about it after learning more about it.

With that said, that doesn't change the basics of right from wrong. Any opinion resulting in violence, damage, or hurt to others will always be wrong. The cause you are fighting for may be noble, but how you handled it was wrong. You will lose every time, your opinion will be meaningless, and you will have no credibility. Your cause will suffer in the end.

Opinions and differences of opinion are healthy when approached properly. Believe it or not, both sides learn something when discussed openly and in the proper forum. For example, let's look at a court of law. A court of law is similar to opinions. There are two conflicting sides. They both state their case based on facts and evidence, and a judge or jury rules based on those facts and evidence. Why does it work? Because it relies upon the burden of truth. When it fails, sometimes it has because someone dropped the ball.

A perfect example of this was the pandemic. Everyone had an opinion. Some agreed others disagreed, however, like it or not. Agree or not, every decision made from the start was based on what the science at the time revealed. As the science changed, opinions changed. This led to confusion and a lack of understanding, but doctors could only go by what they knew then. As we all know, much was found not to be totally accurate. The shame was the political manipulation that was caused due to it being an election cycle and an EXCUSE to spend so much money that contributed to our economic state now. However, the truth always comes out as it is now.

Political leaders passed bills under the auspices of public health, where over 80% of the money approved in those bills was NOT used for the pandemic, in addition to the fraudulent use by corporations to receive money. Let's face it. They were handing it out like water. This, and more, is the impact that opinions can have on a larger scale. Therefore, opinions, at any level, carry some weight.

IN CLOSING:

Yes. Opinions are like rear ends. Everyone has them, and they have a right to them. Does it make sense to say there is a reaction for every action and consequences for every choice? If you believe that, you must agree that when forming an opinion, that process has a certain degree of responsibility since what you decide will affect you or others close to you. Maybe that is where society is dropping the ball. Without any specific reason, society simply forms opinions, regardless of whether they are right or wrong.

Personal opinions go hand in hand with public opinion. An opinion can positively or negatively affect public opinion depending on the number of people involved and the issue under debate. Did you ever think having a simple opinion was so complicated? There was a time when it was not. However, times change. Issues are more complex because people have started to openly state their opinions. I think that is a positive thing. I do not think how people react to them or how some people present them is positive. That is the basics of the problem.

We live in a free country. A democracy. However, that freedom does not give individuals or groups the right to force their opinions upon others. Live your life as you wish. You do not need everyone to agree with you. Honestly, all never will. That is why people have different opinions. That is a win as long as you can live your life freely. Do you require the approval of others to live your life the way you choose? I think not. Yes, the issues are more complex and too long to discuss in a blog post. However, the basics do not change. Life is too short for our society's drama, stress, and unrest. If this continues, it will lead to deeper problems, and I believe our plate is pretty full right now. Thank you.

Please feel free to leave comments, or if you have a topic you would like me to discuss, you can email me at crondina@caesarrondinaauthor.com. Thank you.

Be safe, stay well, and focus on being happy. And remember to always: